Among the many items that are required to be submitted to the SBA, with your 8(a) Application, you will need to supply a listing of client work performed, copies of contracts/agreements, invoices and letters of reference.

These items will allow the SBA to determine:
1. If you have any economic dependence issues.
2. That your primary NAICS code identified within your 8(a) application submission is correct.3. Who is signing or has signed the contracts/agreements within your organization to determine if any unconditional control issues may exist or if there is someone else that, not identified, may be a considered a key officer/employee.
4. If you are performing on these contracts to the satisfaction of your clients.

Client Listings Worksheet:
You must supply the SBA with a detailed listings of all work performed by your business for the following periods:
a. Beginning of current year through the most recently completed month end.
b. The last three years.
c. Breakdown of all contracts/revenues earned within the last 12 months.

The client listings worksheet provided to the SBA should contain the following information:
a. NAICS Code for work performed
b. Award date of contract/agreement
c. Customer name (billable client)d. Brief description of work performed for client.
e.Total dollar value of contract/agreement
f. Revenue earned in each period specified above. You should separate out the revenue for the current year, and each of the last three years individually for each client.

Contracts/Agreements:
You must supply the SBA with a copy of all contracts/agreements and invoices earned within the last 12 months. Make sure that all contracts are signed by all parties and contain all pages.

The SBA will examine these contracts to determine if the primary NAICS code indicated is correct and also to see if someone other than the applicant is signing and executing these contracts on behalf of your company.

Invoices:
You must supply the SBA with all invoices, for work performed, that matches the totals within your client listings worksheet.

These invoices should show the work performed and be descriptive enough to give the SBA reviewer an idea of the type of work performed, that was billed.

Letters of Reference:
You must supply the SBA with at least 2-3 letters of reference from clients listed within your client listings worksheet. These letters of reference should generally speak to the type of work performed, how well it was performed and must be provided on the letter writers letterhead, signed and contain their contact information.

Need assistance with your 8(a) Application?

With 15+ years and over 2,000 successful applications under our belt, we can assure you that no matter which option you choose, Cloveer will work harder and faster to get your business SBA 8a certified. Contact us today at 813-333-5800 or visiting our website at www.cloveer.com to discover what Cloveer can do for you. We also offer these options for further assistance in completing your 8(a) Application.

For those who wish to complete the application on their own we offer an 8(a) Application Review service. Here, one of our 8a program experts will review your entire application, checking it for missing documents and potential eligibility issues. We will then advise you as to how best to modify your application to ensure it will be approved an SBA reviewer.

The majority of our clients however, prefer a little more of a hands-on approach. They recognize the expertise we have accumulated in the over 14 years we’ve been assisting clients obtain 8(a) certification, and want us to put it to use for them. If you opt for our 8(a) Application Completion Service, we will work one-on-one with you to ensure that your 8(a) Application is 100% complete and compliant so the SBA can review and accept it the first time.

There are several certifications that are required to be submitted within your 8(a) Application paperwork. Failure to submit these signed and dated certifications will result in a letter back from the SBA deeming your 8(a) Application deficient or incomplete.

Please note. None of the below certifications are identified within the SBA’s current 8(a) Checklist. This blog post alone will save you at least one letter back from the SBA and possibly 30+ days of processing time at the SBA.

5 certification sheets that you must provide to the SBA within your 8(a) Application paperwork:

Certification that no 8(a) applicant, owner, director, or key officer of the applicant firm, or the applicant firm itself, have any delinquent federal obligations, past due taxes or liens.

Certification that no immediate family member of any 8(a) applicant, owner, director, or key officer of the applicant firm has ever been an officer, director or shareholder of any other firm that is a current 8(a) Program participant or was a previous participant in the 8(a) Program.

Certification that no 8(a) applicant, owner, director, or key officer of the applicant firm has ever been an officer, director or shareholder of any other firm that is a current 8(a) Program participant or was a previous participant in the 8(a) Program.

Certification that the no 8(a) applicant, owner, director, or key officer of the applicant firm has any ownership interest in any other business other than the applicant firm, or has an immediate family member who has ownership interest in any other business.

You should put each of the above certifications on a separate printed sheet and sign/date all of these and include a copy within your 8(a) Application. Please make sure all of these certifications provided to the SBA are accurate and truthful. Penalties for misrepresenting anything in your 8(a) Application are severe.

If any of the above cannot be provided because they might apply in your circumstances, please call us at 813-333-5800 for more information.

Hiring a reputable consultant to assist in the preparation of your 8(a) Application can be very important. Most self prepared 8(a) Application are rejected outright or send back multiple times for deficiencies or inconsistencies. In fact “Only 2 out every 10 self prepared 8(a) Applications are approved by the SBA“.

Hiring and investing in a reputable consultant can dramatically increase your chances to achieve successful 8(a) Certification and decrease the time it takes to get 8(a) Certified. A consultant that does not have the experience or proven track record may hurt your chances. The old adage of “You Get What You Pay For” is important. If you believe that you can pay your consultant a few hundred dollars to prepare a successful 8(a) Application you will most likely “Get What You Pay For“. It takes anywhere between 40-80 hours’ worth or work typically to properly review and prepare the 8(a) Application with work on both sides. An 8(a) Application can be several hundred to over a thousand pages in length and is not just a bunch of forms to fill out.

A reputable 8(a) Consultant should perform a free pre-qualifying interview to determine your current state of 8(a) Program eligibility before they enter into any agreement with you. As a result of this pre-qualifying interview they should let you know if your chance of qualifying or not. If you don’t qualify for the 8(a) Program they should let you know why and how to get around these issues without breaking any of the rules.

When you hire any consultant, accountant or attorney to assist with your 8(a) Application they are required to report the SBA that they assisted you and what fees you paid them to assist you. They must also provide a copy of any agreement between the client and the them for review by the SBA.
If you choose to enter into an agreement with a consultant you should make sure:

1. The consultant must have extensive experience in preparing 8(a) Applications that have resulted in successful 8(a) Certification by the SBA and can provide real references for you to speak to directly.

2. The consultant must thoroughly understand the current SBA 8(a) regulations and Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) cases that might impact your 8(a) Application.

3. The consultant you speak to initially should be the person who will assist in your 8(a) Application and not be passed off to some junior analyst with limited experience.

4. The consultant should also have detailed knowledge of Federal procurement. For example did they previously work for an 8(a) Certified company or work in the federal market space as a contractor.

5. The consultant should provide you with very specific guidance and clear recommendations to you while preparing your 8(a) Application with clear answers to your questions with no double-talk.

6. No consultant should offer a guarantee that your application will accepted by the SBA as the SBA is the final determiner in whether you get certified. It is actually a violation of the SBA rules for any consultant to guarantee that your application will approved by SBA.

7. The consultant agreement should ensure that all of your personal information is protected properly and not shared with anyone other than you and the consultant.

8. The consultant should assist you after the 8(a) Application is submitted to the SBA should the SBA ask for additional information.

Cloveer employees live and breathe 8(a) Certification. When you hire Cloveer to prepare your 8(a) Application you will working directly with Rick Otero, our President/CEO who has 15 years to experience with proven results.

Rick keeps up to date on all of the latest daily SBA 8(a) Program changes and has a detailed understanding of the current SBA 8(a) regulations and the latest SBA OHA cases on 8(a) Certification.

Cloveer has a very strong success rate. We maintain a rate over 99% for clients we pre-qualify and have assisted thousands of small businesses to achieve and maintain their 8(a) Program Certification.

Rick worked in his family owned 8(a) Certified business, RJO Enterprises, Inc.. This business was one of the most successful 8(a) Certified companies in the 8(a) Program. In fact this business was recognized by INC. Magazine for five consecutive years as one of the country’s most successful 8(a), high-tech, information technology and electronics concerns.

Cloveer will pre-qualify you for FREE as we don’t want to waste your time or investment if you do not qualify. When you ask Rick a question you will get an honest answer with no double-talk. Even if Rick finds that you do not currently qualify he will identify the workarounds to your specific issues, if possible, so you can apply down the road.

All information provided to Cloveer is protected and will be secure and will never be shared with anyone.

Finally, our Full 8(a) Application Service is turnkey and once we prepare and you submit your 8(a) Application we will be there for you until with full support, at no additional fee, should the SBA ask for additional information.

Give us a call at 813-333-5800 to speak with Rick or visit us at www.cloveer.com for a wealth of information on the 8(a) Program.